Automakers will now be required to provide consumers with active recall information online, for free, thanks to a ruling by federal regulators this week.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it will now force automakers like General Motors and Ford to provide recall information no later than Aug. 14, 2014 according to CBS News.
Owners will be able to type in their car or truck's vehicle identification number to search for any recent recall news through what they're calling the National Automotive Recall Database.
"The goal here is to increase recall completion rates through greater consumer awareness. Providing safety recall information on the websites of automakers is effective and uses databases car companies already maintain," said the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the main trade group representing major car companies, according to USA Today.
Automakers must update their database every week according to the NHTSA.
Some automakers already offer a search tool through their own websites, but most don't.
The NHTSA said that 70 percent of recalled vehicles actually get fixed.
Companies won't have to list vehicles that have already been fixed, just ones that haven't. If a certain vehicle doesn't come up during a VIN number search, it either has yet to be recalled or was recalled and the issue has been addressed.
"This is an important development. It should make it easier for people buying used cars to know if the vehicle they're about to purchase was part of an uncompleted recall," said Carroll Lachnit, an editor at Edmunds.com, according to USA Today.
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